Huntersville program promotes good health

HUNTERSVILLE – Some of the town’s prominent names will be looking to shape up early next year.

Kendall Heath, a public relations representative for the Ballas Chiropractic Health and Wellness Center and the chair of the 11-person Healthy Huntersville Committee, developed a 90-day health and fitness challenge for local adults.

The program, titled “Healthy Me,” begins in January and runs through March.

It will have local leaders exercising and eating responsibly to improve their health. Bobby Williams, the assistant to Huntersville Town Manager Greg Ferguson, as well as Novant Health-Huntersville Outreach Coordinator Laurie Griswell and Sergeants Andrew Dempski and Tom Seifert from Huntersville’s police department, will take part. Heath said several executives from local companies are also slated to participate.

Each participant will be paired with another person taking part. Businesses can sponsor a pair of people to help support the cause. Those taking part in the challenge will track changes in weight and size, plus cardiovascular health, range of motion and mental health.

“We’re looking for more than just losing pounds,” Heath said. “It’s more about, ‘I get sick less, now,’ and ‘I’m not out of breath going up a flight of stairs,’ than “Oh, I just lost some weight.’ It’s about universal wellness.”

Williams said he’s thankful to be a part of the program’s first group of participants.

“It’s a unique opportunity to get you to do something you should want to do,” he said. “It’s going to be a good time. People are excited for it. We should have some fun with it.”

Carolinas HealthCare System will provide nutrition assistance, and Novant Health will help with tracking participants’ health through the three-month challenge. The community’s leaders who are joining in will also wear pedometers and walk 10,000 steps every day.

Heath said there are plans in the works to have fitness programs in place for local kids. The kids’ program, she said, will be unveiled sometime in 2014.

“We’re all thrilled about what we’re doing,” Heath said. “People work in wellness because it makes a huge impact. At the basic level, you need good health. We want to be ambassadors of that for Huntersville.”